Screen for fruit-washing machines.



,PATENTED 001. a, 1903.

- B: J. KBSSLER. SCREEN FOR FRUIT WASHING MACHINES.

APPLIU ATION FILED JULYZO, 1903.

bio MODEL.

wams mas co UNITED STATES Patented October e, 1903.

EDWARD J. KESSLER, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

SCREEN FOR FRUIT-WASHlNG MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,441, dated October6, 1903. Application filed July 20,1903. Serial lie-1661272. (nomads Toall whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. Knssnnn, of Toledo, county of Lucas, andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and; useful Improvements inScreens for Fruit-Washing Machines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, whichwill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to quantityof foreign material, it being a cornmon occurrence to find nailstherein, these falling into the raisins accidentally in packing them forshipment. The screens at presentconstructed for use in washing-machinesare made of a series of wires extending lengthwise of the screen andformed at intervals with loops, through whichare passed roundcircumferential wires, by which the cylinder formed by the longitudinalwires is held together. Since the longitudinal wires are woven upon thecircumferential wires, they become loosened. in time from the agitationof the fruit and foreign material within thescreen, causing enlargedspaces to be formed between them, permitting the passage of raisinstherethrough, the same being carried with the wash-water into the sewer.In this manner a considerable quantity of fruit is lost without beingknown to the operator of the machine. Since the longitudinal wires areof necessity of small gage to permit them to be woven, the millingaction upon'the raisins in contact therewith is greatly increased, theskinof the raisins being broken, permitting the natural juices to exudeand form a sticky mass, which latter is transformed into a sugar ofcrystallization, which when present in packed raisins greatly impairsthe market value thereof.

By employing the construction herein described I am enabled toemploywires of large gage, providing ascreen of great rigidity andstrength. I further provide means for retaining the mixed fruit andwater upon their first entrance into the screen, permitting the fruit tobe more thoroughly scrubbed, and consequently cleaned, than is possiblein the screens of ordinary construction. To overcome the foregoingobjection to the ordinary woven screen and to fulfil such objects aswill herein appear, my invention is constructed; and it consists in thenovel combination and arrangement of the parts hereinafter shown,described, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing my improved screen.Fig; 2 is a view looking at one end of the same, showing theretaining-band in position, the ring immediately adjoining theretaining-band be: ing removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of theretaining-band removed from'the screen proper before being solderedthereto. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective in detail, showing thearrangement of the longitudinal wires of the screen with relation to thesupporting-rings. Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of acylinder of metal, and the same figure also discloses a ring outtherefrom, this being the first step in the construction of the screen.Fig. 6 is a front elevation of one ofthe supporting-rings, a portionthereof being broken away,

In the construction of my screen I' employ a plurality of flattenedrings 1, this form being best capable of resisting the pressure fromwithin when the fruit is being violently agitated. To insure uniformityin the size of these rings, I first turn upa cylinder of metal,preferably malleable iron or brass, so that the inner and outer surfacesthereof will be perfectly true, and I then out the rings therefrom, asshown in dotted lines, Fig. 5. The inner face of each ring is slightlytapered, as indicated at 2, before being cut 03 from the cylinder.Closely adjoining the inner tapered faces of the rings are drilledequidistant holes 3, adapted to receive the hardened-steel wires 4. Inassembling the screen the rings are spaced at equal distances apart toprovide equal areas between them. At one end of the screen, between theend ring and the ring adjacent thereto, is provided a retaining-band 5,

the machine.

of sheet metal, the same being arranged to nearly encircle the screen,having an open segment at the top and the upturned ends 6 to receive thelower end of the feed-hopper of This retaining-band is preferablysecured to the screen by soldering, the Wires of the screen formingaroughened surface on the interior.

The fruit after being thoroughly mixed with water enters the screenthrough the opening provided at the top of the retaining-band and isthen thoroughly agitated within the screen, preferably by means of arapidly-rotating spiral agitator. If no means were provided forretaining the mixed fruit and water immediately upon its entrance intothe screen, the water would be instantlyseparated from the fruit andpass out between the longitudinal wires, owing to the centrifugal actionof the agitator. By means of the retainingband which I provide on myimproved screen the mixture of fruit and water is held together withinthe screen until the same has advanced to a point within the screen notinclosed by the retaining-band. In order to slightly obstruct thepassage of the fruit through the screen, I have tapered the inner facesof the rings supporting the longitudinal wires. It is essential that thefruit be obstructed somewhat in its passage through the screen;otherwise the same would be passed through the screen too rapidly andnot be thoroughly washed. The form shown offers the necessaryobstruction without injury to the fruit. By constructing a screen asherein described I am enabled to use much larger wires than it ispossible to employ in wovengreatly increase the efliciency offruit-washing machines.

Having described my invention, what claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

l. A screen for fruit-washing machines formed of longitudinal wires andsupportingrings, and a retaining-band at one end of the screen having asegmental portion thereof cut away and provided with upturned ends, saidband being soldered to the longitudinal wires to provide an innerroughened surface, substantially as described.

2. A screen for fruit washing machines comprising a plurality offlattened rings provided with equidistant perforations and having theirinner faces tapered, longitudinal wires inserted through theperforations in the rings, and a retaining-band soldered to thelongitudinal wires at one end of the screen between adjacent rings, saidband having a segmental portion thereof cut away and having the endsthereof bent upward to facilitate the passage of fruit into the screen,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

EDVV. J. KESSLER.

Witnesses:

CARL H. KELLER, J o CUNNINGHAM.

